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Hop & Vine Tony and I couldn’t get into this pub when we tried on Monday, primarily as it’s shut on Mondays. However, I didn’t want to miss out (and my friend Julian S from Norwich is also a fan of this pub, so it came personally recommended), so I went down on the Tuesday evening to see why this Good Beer Guide pub was so well reviewed.

The beers on the bar, certainly an excellent choice with plenty of different styles. Incidentally, I didn’t like how my view of their crisp selection on the bottom shelf was obscured by the high bar. I realised after I had ordered that they had Frazzles and I didn’t get to order them….. I’m not saying that this is a critical problem in the world today that needs media attention and Government action, but I felt it worthy of mentioning here.

A more complete look at the beers that they had, which I’d mostly already had in one shape or form, but there were some that intrigued me. The Albino Pheasant from Verdant Brewing was tempting, but it’s not a cheap beer and I’m sure there will be another occasion.

The artwork on the wall was, well, I can’t really say anything as apparently it’s of the owners and it feels wrong to make any other comment than to say it’s certainly quite decadent. I would say though that I hope JD Wetherspoon don’t decide this is an angle that they want to go down, I don’t need to see any more of Tim Martin.

The interior decoration was certainly quirky….. In front of the stuffed animal on the wall, that’s a Green Devil IPA from Oakham Ales which I expected to be quite average, but was actually anything but. Zesty, hoppy and quite powerful, I really liked this.

I also didn’t have great expectations for my half a pint of Alf, a collaboration between Marble Beers and Amundsen Brewery of Norway. I’m not very good at describing pale ales, but I’ll have a go, but just to say, this was a beer which had a depth of flavour that I’ve rarely experienced in this style, although it is a 5.4% beer. I had to think about this beer and sip it slowly, pretending that I actually had a clue what flavours I was trying to decipher. It was very fruity, that was evident, and there was a strong hoppy background to it and I decided that I could taste peach, although I probably made that up. A clean flavour and rich aftertaste, and I wish I could explain why I liked this beer, but that’ll have to do in my little write-up. I gave it 4.75 on Untappd though, which was generous of me.

The pub had a relaxed atmosphere, clearly something very different and not run of the mill. The staff were friendly and helpful, welcoming customers who were leaving and departing, with a community feel to the whole arrangement. I hope that they remain in the Good Beer Guide for many more years to come, it was all really rather lovely.

Huddersfield Railway Station has the rather lovely situation where there is a pub at either end of the building, the Head of Steam at one end (more on which in another post) and the King’s Head at the other. It’d be nice if Norwich railway station had such decadent choices, but maybe one day (and perhaps a Greggs as well whilst they’re making the changes). The pub was formerly known as the Station Tavern and the interior is something different, with the floor tiling being of note. It’s certainly a large space (and there’s some outdoor seating as well), although perhaps rather sparsely laid out at the moment though.

Tony, from the wonderful Hop & Vine pub in Hull, was joining me for the day and this is where we started our little expedition from. Something which doesn’t appeal to me (I prefer quiet and genteel in pubs…..), but there is regular live music held here and I think that that’s a popular way of getting people in for this venue.

The list of beer options and I liked the range of different beer styles that were available. The prices were also reasonable and it was easy to see the beers that they had.

The Tiramisu Stout from Salvation Brewery, which was entirely pleasant to drink, but lacking in any real depth of taste. The beer is listed by the brewery as having “a delicious depth of flavour”, but it wasn’t quite desserty enough for me.

The service in the bar was friendly, with the staff member being engaging and conversational. I can see why this is listed in the Good Beer Guide, a very acceptable place to wait for a train.

The Rat and Ratchet in Huddersfield has an excellent reputation locally and is listed in the Good Beer Guide and has been for the last thirty years, which is an impressive achievement by any measure. The pub is located near to the Queensgate Campus of the University of Huddersfield, a short walk from the town centre.

Underneath the pub in the cellars is the Rat Brewery, which as this useful sign notes has been producing beers since 2011 under the new owners, the Ossett Brewery. The beers are still though separately branded for the moment.

It’s fair to say that I liked the signage.

The bar was nicely presented and the barman was kind enough not to comment that I nearly tripped over the little step by the bar whilst walking towards it. Fortunately, I recovered the situation promptly and professionally……

I was slightly puzzled (not difficult, I’m nearly permanently puzzled by something) at the weekend to see the Ossett Brewery beers at the Salt Beer Factory and so I asked the barman about that given it was replicated the other way round here. He mentioned that it was all part of the same family, which is something that I didn’t know. Judging from their on-line branding, the brewery is treating Ossett Brewery as their cask product and Salt as their keg product.

The list of cask and keg options is clearly marked up.

I ordered half a King Rat from Ossett, as well as half of the Ratsputin which was an imperial stout which some depth of flavour to it. Both well kept pints, at the appropriate temperature and so on.

The service was friendly and the environment had an historic feel to it, although it had a modern edge to it as well, the ‘old meets the new’ and all that. It felt a welcoming pub judging from the other customers and I can see that this would be a handy place to have as a local. There’s very much a focus on their own beer, with few guest beers, although that is perhaps not unreasonable given that they brew some of the products here. Definitely a very worthwhile addition to the Good Beer Guide.

This is the taproom of Magic Rock brewery, a company which was established in Huddersfield in 2011. It’s now something of a corporate affair, having been taken over by Lion Brewery, an Australian multinational. Magic Rock beer is also widely available in supermarkets and the like, as well as often being seen on restaurant menus. The taproom is listed in the Good Beer Guide, although I would have come here anyway given the good reputation that Magic Rock have.

There’s no shortage of seating here, this is part of the external area. There are food trucks which turn up every weekend, this week’s was a Dutch company.

The list of beers, although they’ve also got the complete menu on Untappd as well which made things easier.

The very nice interior of the taproom, which is very well reviewed on-line. I mentioned to the member of staff that I had booked a table just in case, but it was clear that I didn’t need to. It was a little busier outside, but the venue was surprisingly quiet. Everything was clean and comfortable, with an organised feel to the whole arrangement.

I must admit to being slightly disappointed at the entire lack of any dark beers, even as guests, with not even their Commons Grounds porter visible. I went for five different beers from Magic Rock, all served as thirds. The bar service was slightly clumsy given that the beers are all the same colour, I would have really preferred a better set-up than this, even if they had just written them down on a bit of paper. The barman told me the drinks, but he got the order muddled up, although I think I was able to correct it (that’s the handy thing about a Gose, it’s not hard to recognise). There was also a moderately surprisingly lack of engagement given that this is the brewery’s taproom, but the service remained friendly enough.

The keg beers were all very good though, my own personal favourite was the Clown Juice a white IPA, which is a mixture of an IPA and a Witbier. Anyway, I had a perfectly pleasant couple of hours here and I liked that they were serving as thirds. The location was clean and there was an on-trend feel to the whole arrangement, with the staff members always being helpful and polite. This also means that I’m verging on completing the main range of beers from Magic Rock which is handy. This is very much worth a visit though, it’s not far to walk from the centre of Huddersfield.